Advance polling numbers up for Fraser Nicola as election day looms

If the number of advance voters here in the Fraser -Nicola riding are any indication as to how busy it will be at the polling booths during B.C. Provincial Election Day on Saturday, then we could see huge numbers surpassing previous years.

This Saturday, the riding of Fraser-Nicola will elect a new Member of the Legislative Assembly for the first time since 2013, after B.C. United incumbent Jackie Tegart announced she would not seek re-election following the withdrawal of the B.C. United Party from the upcoming campaign.

Vying for the position (alphabetically) are:

• Francyne Joe (B.C. NDP)
• Tony Luck (Conservative Party of B.C.)
• Jonah Timms (Green Party)

During the six days of advance voting which concluded on Thursday, 8,760 advance ballots were cast in the riding of Fraser Nicola which represents 26.75 per cent of the 32,742 registered voters.

Advance polls across the province saw a record 1,001,331 voters of the 3,550,017 eligible voters turn out to cast their ballot in advance of this Saturday election representing 28.2 per cent of voters.

This shatters the previous record for advance voting in a B.C. election set in 2020  when approximately 670,000 people voted in advance, representing about 19 per cent of registered voters.

Polls will be open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with the first results expected before 9:00 p.m.